There were 6,328,000 car accidents in 2003. These accounted for 2.9 million injuries and 42,643 deaths related to auto crashes. Almost 60 percent of children, age 14 and under, who die in motor vehicle accidents were unrestrained. So buckle yourself and your kids up! This playlist contains songs about car accidents. A tragic theme to be sure, but one that started way back in the 1950's with the popular "teenage tragedy" story.
Many times it was love itself, which drove the teenage lover to their death in these songs as in Ray Peterson's "Tell Laura I Love Her", the tragic love story of Laura and Tommy. His love for Laura is the driving force behind Tommy entering a stock car race for a $1000 prize. Just enough to buy the engagement ring for his beloved Laura. Needless to say Tommy made the wrong decision.
Also, in the classic "Teen Angel" a teenage couple's car stalls on the railroad tracks. The boyfriend returns to the car for school ring and is killed by the oncoming train. So again, it was love represented by a ring that caused these horrible car accident deaths.
These car wreck tragedies continued through the decades. Some of the most disturbing broke from the traditional storyline.
The Normal broke onto the underground scene in the 80s with the creepy "Warm Leatherette" whose lyrics painted chilling images in the mind of the listener.
Is in your eye
The hand brake
Penetrates your thigh
Quick - Let's make love
Before you die"
The Sugarcubes also contributed to the car crash genre with the stream-of-conscious lyrics found in 1988's "Motorcrash".
Saw the injured parents
Cuts on the children
An awful motorcrash
So dangerous motorcrash
So terribly bloody
Motorcrash"
This playlist contains some of the most memorable songs about car accidents ever written.
Car Accident Songs Playlist
1. Wreck On The Highway - Roy Acuff
2. Wreck On The Highway - Bruce Springsteen
3. Dead Man's Curve - Jan & Dean
4. The Carroll County Accident - Porter Wagoner
5. Warm Leatherette - The Normal
6. Motorcrash - The Sugarcubes
8. Tell Laura I Love Her - Ray Peterson
10. B.J. The DJ - Stonewall Jackson
11. Three Wooden Crosses - Randy Travis
13. Car Crash - Our Lady Peace
14. In The Car Crash - Swayzak
15. In The Kingdom #19 - Sonic Youth
16. Crawling From The Wreckage - Dave Edmunds
17. Steal Your Keys & Crash Your Car - Flesh Vehicle
18. Let This Be A Lesson To You (Drunk Driver) - Various Artists
19. Blasphemous Rumours - Depeche Mode
20. Love Rhymes With Hideous Car Wreck - The Blood Brothers
21. Through The Wire - Kanye West